Soil and Base

Stabilization
 Definition
• The Improvement of Pertinent Soil
Engineering Properties by the Addition of
Additives or mechanical means so that the
Soil Can Effectively Serve its Function in the
Construction and Life of a Pavement.
 Reasons To Stabilize
• Use Locally Available Materials
• Improve Engineering Properties of In-Situ Soils
(Strength, Waterproof)
• Conserve Higher Quality Material
• Conserve Energy (Oil Crisis)
• Recycle Existing Pavements/Bases
• Improve Durability
• Reduce Thickness of Pavement
• Facilitate Construction
 Stabilization and modification

• Stabilization -Permanently Improve

Engineering Properties
• Modification -Temporarily Improve
Engineering Properties
 Materials Used

• Lime
• Portland Cement
• Asphalt (Emulsions)
• Flyash
• Combinations of the Above
 Stabilizer Selection
• Soil Stabilization Index System
– Perform Sieve Analysis
– Perform Atterberg Limits
– See Chart
 General Use
• Lime
– High PI Soils (Usually >10)
– 2% For Modification (Percent By Weight)
– 3-6% For Stabilization
• Portland Cement
– PI : 10-30
• 3-7% For Coarse Grained Material
• 6-15% For Fine Grained Material
• Asphalt
– PI < 10 (Sands)
• 2-4% For Coarse Grained Material
• 4-6% For Fine Grained Material
• Flyash
– Fine Grained Silts
– Pozzolanic
– High Quantities Normally Required
Percent Lime
Lime Curing Time
Percent Cement
Cement Curing Time
 Mix Designs

• Perform Detailed Mix Design

• Consider
– Workability
– Strength
– Durability
– Volume Sensitivity
• Swelling, Shrinkage
 Construction
• In-Place (Most Common)
• Central Plant (Asphalt Only)
– In-Place Procedure
1. Preparation by Pulverization
2. Apply Stabilizer
3. Add Water if Needed
4. Mix
5. Compact
6. Cure
 Central Plant Procedure

• Remove Materials
• Prepare Remaining Soil
• Mix Material in the Plant
• Place and Compact
• Cure
 Field Control
• In-Place Density Usually Employed for QC/QA
Purposes.
• Density/Moisture Relationship of Stabilized
Materials Changes with Curing Time and
Stabilizer Content.
Field Control